There was the sound of something shattering in the back of the house, and a second later a naked boy came bounding into the living room on all fours. He was brown with filth and he smelled horrible. His hair was matted with grime, and his too-large teeth were a moldy green. He could not have been more than ten or eleven. He hopped onto the remains of the china cabinet and grunted wildly, snorting through his nose.

“There you are, my love,” I heard Akhna say behind me, and I felt a sickening feeling of disgusted horror in the pit of my stomach. “I want you to meet my wife.” With an animal-like howl, the little boy bounded toward us. Akhna stepped forward and pulled the youth to his feet, hugging him to herself. She kissed the dirty child full on the lips. With fast and furious fingers, the boy tried and pull down her pants. Akhna laughingly pushed him away. “Now now,” she said. The boy turned to look at me, and I could see that he had an erection. Akhna smiled proudly at me. “Nona,” she said, “I want you to meet my wife.” The filthy boy looked up at me and grinned. I could see that his mossy teeth had been filed into tiny points. He howled crazily.